Shelburne Vineyard & OCM present: Project Serenade, Live in Concert

This is a benefit concert to support Project Serenade programming throughout the summer!

Gates open at 7pm, and the concert begins at 7:15pm

Tickets $10-$50

• This is a family friendly event, we have plenty of non-alcoholic drink options 🙂

• Everyone 12 years of age and over needs a ticket

• This event will happen on our lawn, in the event of rain we will move indoors

Project Serenade, a program of the Opera Company of Middlebury's Youth Opera (YOC), was launched mid-pandemic in 2020 by YOC's founder, Sarah Cullins. Every summer since then, Youth Opera singers have brought joy and music to our senior community throughout Chittenden, Washington and Addison counties through concerts of opera and musical theater. Join these stars of the future as they launch this year's concert series and continue this important mission of creating community through song.

OCM’s Young Artist Program presents Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi

Hear the stars of tomorrow in the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Young Artists Program production of Puccini’s hilarious one-act Gianni Schicchi. Eastman Opera Theater’s Pat Diamond directs a cast of 10 up-and-coming professionals and five local talents in a uniquely staged production in Town Hall Theater’s new Doug & Debby Anderson Studio. Coached and conducted by Yale Opera faculty YAP Artistic Director Alejandro Roca, Young Artists also understudy principal roles in the mainstage production of La Bohème and appear in the ensemble.

The production is set mid-century in an upper middle class Italian-American immigrant family who is “living the dream” with cannoli, Dolce and Gabbana, Vespas, and negronis. Their world gets turned upside down when their patriarch Buoso Donati dies and his will is read. Gianni Schicchi, the provincial “country bumpkin” saves the day. . .or does he?

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

ARTISTIC TEAM:

Sarah Cullins, Director of Education & Outreach, Director of Young Artist Program
Alejandro Roca, Young Artist Program Artistic Director
Pat Diamond, Young Artist Program Guest Stage Director
Anne Sutton, Assistant Stage Director

GIANNI SCHICCHI CAST:

Schicchi - Gregory Gropper
Lauretta - Hayley Fox
Zita - Melina Jaharis
Rinuccio - Héctor Camacho Salazar
Gherardo - Orlando Montalvo Avalo
Nella - Hayley Abramowitz
Betto di Signa - Johannes Linneballe
Simone - Andrew Boisvert
Marco - Lifan Deng
La Ciesca - Amanda Cabán

Local Cast:

Maestro Spinelloccio - Jon Isham
Ser Amantio di Nicolao - Nathan Stefani
Gherardino - Soledad Pareja
Pinellino - John-Eric Robinson
Guccio - Isaiah Robinson

OCM Mainstage presents Puccini’s La Bohème!

Director Douglas Anderson reimagines this classic opera as a contemporary urban tale. Puccini's characters are young artists who have come to the big city to make a name for themselves.  "As we all learned in the 70s and 80s," says Anderson, "those ambitions are easily dashed." It's a timeless story of hope, struggle, romance and disappointment, all bathed in the most glorious music ever written. With a superb cast of professional singers from across the country and a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Filippo Ciabatti. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Meet the cast!

Pre-performance lecture with Filippo Ciabatti, Music Director/La Bohème Conductor at 1:00pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater’s new wing.

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

Join Conductor Filippo Ciabatti for a pre-performance discussion about OCM's contemporary reimagining of Puccini's beloved La Bohème.

Begins at 1:00pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater's new wing.

OCM’s Young Artist Program presents Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi

Hear the stars of tomorrow in the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Young Artists Program production of Puccini’s hilarious one-act Gianni Schicchi. Eastman Opera Theater’s Pat Diamond directs a cast of 10 up-and-coming professionals and five local talents in a uniquely staged production in Town Hall Theater’s new Doug & Debby Anderson Studio. Coached and conducted by Yale Opera faculty YAP Artistic Director Alejandro Roca, Young Artists also understudy principal roles in the mainstage production of La Bohème and appear in the ensemble.

The production is set mid-century in an upper middle class Italian-American immigrant family who is “living the dream” with cannoli, Dolce and Gabbana, Vespas, and negronis. Their world gets turned upside down when their patriarch Buoso Donati dies and his will is read. Gianni Schicchi, the provincial “country bumpkin” saves the day. . .or does he?

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

ARTISTIC TEAM:

Sarah Cullins, Director of Education & Outreach, Director of Young Artist Program
Alejandro Roca, Young Artist Program Artistic Director
Pat Diamond, Young Artist Program Guest Stage Director
Anne Sutton, Assistant Stage Director

GIANNI SCHICCHI CAST:

Schicchi - Gregory Gropper
Lauretta - Hayley Fox
Zita - Melina Jaharis
Rinuccio - Héctor Camacho Salazar
Gherardo - Orlando Montalvo Avalo
Nella - Hayley Abramowitz
Betto di Signa - Johannes Linneballe
Simone - Andrew Boisvert
Marco - Lifan Deng
La Ciesca - Amanda Cabán

Local Cast:

Maestro Spinelloccio - Jon Isham
Ser Amantio di Nicolao - Nathan Stefani
Gherardino - Soledad Pareja
Pinellino - John-Eric Robinson
Guccio - Isaiah Robinson

OCM Mainstage presents Puccini’s La Bohème!

Director Douglas Anderson reimagines this classic opera as a contemporary urban tale. Puccini's characters are young artists who have come to the big city to make a name for themselves.  "As we all learned in the 70s and 80s," says Anderson, "those ambitions are easily dashed." It's a timeless story of hope, struggle, romance and disappointment, all bathed in the most glorious music ever written. With a superb cast of professional singers from across the country and a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Filippo Ciabatti. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Meet the cast!

Pre-performance talk with Douglas Anderson, Artistic Director/La Bohème Stage Director at 6:30pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater’s new wing.

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

Join Director Douglas Anderson for a pre-performance discussion about OCM's contemporary reimagining of Puccini's beloved La Bohème.

Begins at 6:30pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater's new wing.

OCM Mainstage presents Puccini’s La Bohème!

Director Douglas Anderson reimagines this classic opera as a contemporary urban tale. Puccini's characters are young artists who have come to the big city to make a name for themselves.  "As we all learned in the 70s and 80s," says Anderson, "those ambitions are easily dashed." It's a timeless story of hope, struggle, romance and disappointment, all bathed in the most glorious music ever written. With a superb cast of professional singers from across the country and a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Filippo Ciabatti. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Meet the cast!

Pre-performance lecture with Anne Sutton, Assistant Stage Director, Young Artist Program at 1:00pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater’s new wing!

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

OCM Mainstage presents Puccini’s La Bohème!

Director Douglas Anderson reimagines this classic opera as a contemporary urban tale. Puccini's characters are young artists who have come to the big city to make a name for themselves.  "As we all learned in the 70s and 80s," says Anderson, "those ambitions are easily dashed." It's a timeless story of hope, struggle, romance and disappointment, all bathed in the most glorious music ever written. With a superb cast of professional singers from across the country and a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Filippo Ciabatti. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Meet the cast!

Pre-performance lecture with Alejandro Roca, Artistic & Music Director, Young Artist Program at 6:30pm in the Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater’s new wing!

Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!

Staying in town for the event? Historic Waybury Inn is offering 15% off of its room rate (and a free breakfast) to anyone holding a ticket for this event. Contact www.wayburyinn.com to book your room, using the promo code THT1884. Or call 802.388.4015.

We've been overwhelmed by the response from our opera community - official performances of La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi have sold out! To ensure no one misses out, we're opening our final dress rehearsal to patrons. 

La Bohème Final Dress Rehearsal
Wednesday, June 4 at 7pm | Town Hall Theater, Middlebury
Tickets $45 | General Admission (no assigned seating)
*IMPORTANT: This is the final dress rehearsal, not a performance. The director may stop, start, and repeat scenes as needed.

Get Tickets Here

The OCM Young Artist Program presents:

Puccini and his Contemporaries, a recital with the Stowe Performing Arts Noon Music in May series.

The OCM Young Artist Program presents a recital of Puccini and his verismo contemporaries, such as Respighi and Leoncavallo as a precursor to OCM’s June productions of Puccini’s operas, La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi. The singers of the Youth Artist Program hail from around the country as well as China, Denmark and Colombia – truly the stars of tomorrow!

Singers Amanda Cabán, Melina Jaharis and Orlando Montalvo Avalo will be joined by Hayley Abramowitz, Andrew Boisvert, Héctor Camacho-Salazar, Lifan Deng, Hayley Fox, Gregory Gropper and Johannes Linneballe, accompanied by pianist and Young Artist Program Artistic Director Alejandro Roca.

Admission is free. Donations gratefully accepted.

An original story about high school told through Mozart operas.

Experience the drama of 1950s high school life through the timeless music of Mozart! Our talented 8-member Youth Opera cast brings you a new mini-opera based on beloved scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and La Clemenza di Tito.

This performance will be accompanied by pianist and YOC Music Director Mary Jane Austin." Dear Diary" was written and staged by YOC Director Sarah Cullins and its cast of young singers represent five Vermont high schools: Middlebury Union, Mt. Abraham Union, Harwood Union, U32, and Montpelier.

No tickets required. Pay what you can at the door.

An original story about high school told through Mozart operas.

Experience the drama of 1950s high school life through the timeless music of Mozart! Our talented 8-member Youth Opera cast brings you a new mini-opera based on beloved scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and La Clemenza di Tito.

This performance will be accompanied by pianist and YOC Music Director Mary Jane Austin." Dear Diary" was written and staged by YOC Director Sarah Cullins and its cast of young singers represent five Vermont high schools: Middlebury Union, Mt. Abraham Union, Harwood Union, U32, and Montpelier.

No tickets required. Pay what you can at the door.

An original story about high school told through Mozart operas in collaboration with Vermont Youth Orchestra.

Experience the drama of 1950s high school life through the timeless music of Mozart! Our talented 8-member Youth Opera cast brings you a new mini-opera based on beloved scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and La Clemenza di Tito.

For our April 11 performance, we're thrilled to partner with the Vermont Youth Orchestra, which has assembled a 15-member chamber orchestra under the direction of VYO Music Director Dr. Mark Alpizar for this program! "Dear Diary" was written and staged by YOC Director Sarah Cullins and coached by YOC Music Director Mary Jane Austin. Its cast of young singers represent five Vermont high schools: Middlebury Union, Mt. Abraham Union, Harwood Union, U32, and Montpelier.

Click here for free tickets!

A Conversation on Puccini Through Two of His Most Famous Operas: La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi

featuring Filippo Ciabatti and Alejandro Roca

OCM and VICA (the Vermont Italian Cultural Assoc.) are co-hosting this Zoom conversation on the life and works of Giacomo Puccini. Filippo Ciabatti (Music Director of the Opera Company of Middlebury and Artistic Director of Upper Valley Baroque) and Alejandro Roca (Lecturer in Music and Opera Coach at Yale University and Artistic Director of the Young Artist Program at the Opera Company of Middlebury) will focus on two of Puccini's most iconic operas, La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi, which will be presented by OCM in June.

La Bohème, Puccini’s most beloved and frequently performed opera, will be the mainstage production for OCM’s spring season. This timeless work tells the tragic love story of Rodolfo and Mimì, set against the backdrop of an iconic Paris. Gianni Schicchi, presented by the OCM Young Artists, is Puccini’s sole comedic opera, drawing inspiration from a tale found in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Both operas feature some of the most celebrated arias in the operatic canon, including "Che gelida manina" from La Bohème and "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi.

This event has passed, but you can watch the recording at this link!

Meet Youth Opera alumni and enjoy a musical afternoon of opera, song and musical theater!

Between them, Ambrose Cusick, Jane Jensen Waggoner, George Lane, and Wanda Sullivan represent EVERY Youth Opera production from its inception in 2019 through the spring season of 2024! Now pursuing music degrees in college, each of them has returned to join YOC's summer Project Serenade concert series in retirement homes and several have already appeared in OCM mainstage productions and worked as interns. Accompanied by YOC Music Director, pianist Mary Jane Austin, they will also be joined by members of the current Youth Opera production, Dear Diary, performing selections from this all-Mozart co-production with the Vermont Youth Orchestra.

No tickets required! Pay what you can at the door.

Celebrate love and music this Valentine’s Day with Opera Company of Middlebury!

Two real-life couples present a concert of love songs in the brand new Doug & Debby Anderson Performance Studio, followed by a wine and chocolate reception in the lounge. With a silent jewelry auction from Jewels with a Purpose and sweet treats from local chocolatiers and bakeries, it’s a fabulous evening that supports music in Middlebury!

Doors Open at 5:00pm | Concert 5:30pm | Reception 6:30-7:30pm
Anderson Studio in Town Hall Theater's New Wing
Ticket: $60 | Generous Ticket: $100 (premium seating)

Once again, YOC Founder Sarah Cullins will work within a school to study, rehearse and perform Purcell’s iconic opera. After successful residencies at Burlington and Colchester high schools in the last two years, this winter’s project will be a combined production of Middlebury, Vergennes and Mount Abraham high schools, culminating in a performance on December 13 and 14.

No tickets required! Entry by donation at the door.

Made possible with grants from Vermont Humanities, the Vermont Arts Council and the Morris and Bessie Altman Foundation.

Once again, YOC Founder Sarah Cullins will work within a school to study, rehearse and perform Purcell’s iconic opera. After successful residencies at Burlington and Colchester high schools in the last two years, this winter’s project will be a combined production of Middlebury, Vergennes and Mount Abraham high schools, culminating in a performance on December 13 and 14.

No tickets required! Admission by donation at the door.

Made possible with grants from Vermont Humanities, the Vermont Arts Council and the Morris and Bessie Altman Foundation.

Join the talented teen singers of the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Youth Opera program in their fall opera-scenes production: a spoof on a Gilbert & Sullivan podcast! Scenes from Iolanthe, Patience, and The Mikado have been woven into an inventive script by guest Stage Director Erik Kroncke. Music Director Mary Jane Austin leads from the piano.

No advance tickets - admission by donation at the door.

Join the talented teen singers of the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Youth Opera program in their fall opera-scenes production: a spoof on a Gilbert & Sullivan podcast! Scenes from Iolanthe, Patience, and The Mikado have been woven into an inventive script by guest Stage Director Erik Kroncke. Music Director Mary Jane Austin leads from the piano.

No advance tickets - admission by donation at the door.

Join the talented teen singers of the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Youth Opera program in their fall opera-scenes production: a spoof on a Gilbert & Sullivan podcast! Scenes from Iolanthe, Patience, and The Mikado have been woven into an inventive script by guest Stage Director Erik Kroncke. Music Director Mary Jane Austin leads from the piano.

No advance tickets - admission by donation at the door.

Project Serenade concerts feature Youth Opera singers from current and former productions and are a fundamental part of our community service. Concerts are offered for free at retirement residences, long-term care facilities and community centers throughout Vermont. This concert will be free to the public!

A benefit concert to fund the 2024 Project Serenade Concert Series.

For more information and to register, click here.

Project Serenade concerts feature Youth Opera singers from current and former productions and are a fundamental part of our community service. Concerts are offered for free at retirement residences, long-term care facilities and community centers throughout Vermont. This concert will be free to the public!

A benefit concert to fund the 2024 Project Serenade Concert Series.

For more information and tickets, click here.